Kisses
by 1tskillingm3
Summary: Really innocent kisses drabbles of 'the little big three'
1. Chapter 1

_Eskimo Kiss_

Nico couldn't exactly remember how they'd gotten into this strange arrangement. Or if 'arrangement' was even the correct word to use. But perhaps that wasn't quite right either; he remembered, yet it still left him with a giddy, unbelieving, feeling in his chest when he recalled.

It had been several years since the war with Gaia and Nico had opted to finish high school on line and start taking classes at the BMCC. He had been stumped at first on what to do because 1) the college was too far from Campy Half-Blood 2) Will had told him in no uncertain terms that- child of death or no- he would kill him if he got wind of Nico shadow traveling multiple times everyday to and from school on a college style sleep schedule(or rather lack of one) 3) Since he really couldn't get an apartment closer to school as a 16 year old he had supposed he would just have to take online classes and maybe do some jobs for his dad. That was when an unexpected option 4 came along in form of Percy and Jason who were searching for a third roommate to help with the rent since Leo had recently moved out.

At the time, he couldn't decide whether fate was being cruel to him or if he was incredible lucky.

Still though, he hadn't been expecting anything much to change. After all, he had gotten over his- admittedly unhealthy- crush on Percy long ago and he was on fairly good terms with both him and Jason. However, somewhere in the middle of cooking projects that would nearly burned the building down, movie nights spent in a lazy pile of bodies, battling monsters that were acting like professors and professors that acted like monsters, shouted half conversations of 'Jason, stop pretending you're not the one using my razor; none of the rest of us have sunshine stubble' 'at least I can grow a beard Jackson' 'Oh yeah? Betcha I can grow a better one, Grace' 'Don't even think about it you two; I refuse to be seen in public with you two looking like vagabonds that have never used a mirror', and just simple gestures of dragging him out for midnight runs to McDonalds when he was upset or picking up his favorite caffeinated drink of him when one of them were out… _somewhere_ in there Nico's feelings had changed once again.

It didn't really hit him until he had been living with them for a little over a year and a half(and honestly he blamed how focused he had been on school for not noticing how absurdly happy he had become). He had just gotten his acceptance letter for a scholarship for State University of New York. Nico had been too stunned to do much of anything but gape at the paper, but his housemates hadn't had that problem.

When Percy had leaned of his shoulder to read what the letter had said he had given a jubilant shout and proceeded gather Nico up into his arms and twirl him around the room with a chant of 'You did it! You did it! I knew you could do it!' Jason of course had also quickly caught on and had scooped the two of the breathlessly laughing boys off their feet together in a crushing bear hug and breathing out a 'Nico I am so so so proud of you!' into his ear with a giddy laugh of his own.

And right there, in that moment with the steady reassuring warmth of Jason's chest against his back and Percy giving him dozens of affectionate little Eskimo kisses as he laughed, it had hit Nico how much he loved both of them. Not in the I-have-crush-on-you-two kind of way(because, been there done that, he was an expert on what crushes felt like) but in a I-have-so-much-love-and-affection-for-you-two-I-have-no-idea-how-it's-supossed-to-fit-in-my-body. Then Jason had let them tip backwards and they had all tumbled together on the couch in a quite uncomfortable mass of limbs and amidst the playful swearing and shoving that resulted Nico remembered thinking that- even though he was a young man now- he had never felt so young, so light, and so incredibly loved and happy.


	2. Chapter 2

_Forehead Kiss_

Nico discovered that he got terrible anxiety whenever Jason or Percy had to go on a Quest without him. Something about it- no matter how confident he was in both demigods powers and skill in battle- triggered frantic memories of letting Bianca out of his sight on a Quest without saying goodbye. He'd never really talked about it with either of his housemates. Some part of him felt a little ashamed for feeling that way, especially when he spent so much time with self-sacrificing idiot-ahem-hero's.

Percy seemed to get it though. Nico suspected it was because he himself was so used to trying to be the protector that he was hyper aware of the helplessness of having someone you loved far away and in danger. And having a mortal mother who constantly worried over him and who he worried about as well, that probably had helped. Whatever the reason, Percy always at least called if something happened(even if his calls often led to a lot of alarm and Nico gripping his phone white knuckled due to his poor word choice) and he always communicated when he thought he should be back and when Nico should start worrying and a half joking promise/hope that he wanted to do with Nico and Jason when he got back. Nico was grateful.

Surprisingly it was Jason who caused him the most grief. The son of Jupiter would fly off to help people for the littlest things with no thought of his own safety. And though Percy did this too at least he _admitted_ when he would do stupid and dangerous things (plus, although he would never say it out loud because Percy would gloat far too much, Jason was a little more accident prone than the son of Poseidon). Jason on the other hand "didn't want to worry" anybody with "unimportant" things. It left Nico somewhere between freaking out and fuming about all the unknown injuries and near death experiences that surely happened all the time that the blond kept a secret.

The problem was that whenever he or Percy would try and express this worry Jason would get guilty and try twice as hard to keep his hardships hidden from them. As a result Nico found himself in an almost constant state of anxiety. He'd always been able to feel the souls of those that he was close to better then other people's and he found himself being hyper conscious of every flux and ripple of Jason's. Periodically he would find himself checking in just to reassure himself that, yes, his precious person was still alive at least. Even so he had to fight himself with the urge to curl into himself when the fear became too crippling. When it felt like any minute it would be just like Bianca, he would just be sitting there doing something mundane thinking his housemates were fine and he would that **snap** and he would know that it was to late. That he would have lost them forever.

He tried to convince himself that that wouldn't happen but-

"Nico! Why is Jason in the Hospital?!" came Will's frantic voice over the phone one day.

"He's what?!" yelled Nico startling several of the people around him on the street. Will was a little ahead of Nico in the medical program, but the two friends still managed to study together whenever they could. This year though, the son of Apollo had decided to add in an internship at the local hospital to his workload as well.

"I don't know! I was just making my rounds in the ward and I saw that I had a new patient it was him!" explained Will sloppily and Nico could practically hear him wringing his hands.

"I'll be right there." Nico managed to get out somehow, even though it felt like all the air had been punched out of his lungs.

"Wait Nico don't shadow-" Nico ignored him and turned on his heel letting the shadows from the street engulf him and send him speeding towards his destination. He practically landed on top Will. "-travel… dammit Nico you know that's not good for-!"

"Where is he?! Is he alright?!" demanded Nico, his panic evident in his voice. Will's eyes softened.

"Hey, calm down, breathe. He's been assigned under my care; do you think they'd let an intern help a patient who was in critical condition?" asked Will laying a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"…I need to see him." Said Nico in a very small voice.

"Of course." Said Will guiding Nico down the hall.

"And I need to text Percy." Mumbled Nico letting himself be lead.

"Don't worry about that, I've got you covered. You go give that big idiot of yours some grief for worrying you." Said Will with a wink as they stopped at a door, "just mind the head if you punch him; he does have a concussion."

"Thanks." mumbled Nico feeling once again that he'd gotten lucky beyond his wildest dreams to get a friend like Will.

"Go on, I'll go call Percy now." Said Will with a warm smile giving Nico a slightly unnecessary nudge. Taking a deep breath, Nico entered the dim room. Jason looked up at him when he entered and whatever expression he was wearing immediately caused guilt to engulf the blonds features, but to be honest Nico couldn't care less as he crossed the room to him.

"Nico, I can explain-" began Jason nervously, but Nico really wasn't listening. He dropped his bag on the floor and unceremoniously climbed into his lap.

"You're okay." Breathed Nico cupping Jason's face in his hands and staring at him. Normally he wasn't this bold, especially since none of them had ever officially said what it was between them, but at the moment he really couldn't care. Jason sat very still beneath him and Nico wanted to close his eyes so he wouldn't start crying all over the blond, but honestly it felt like if he took his eyes off the other for one moment he might really lose him.

"You're alright." Repeated Nico pulling the other's face forward so he could lightly press their foreheads together. He felt Jason's breath stutter slightly against face as he dropped one hand from where it had been cradling the blond's face to flatten against his chest and feel the reassuring hum of the soul fluttering within right next to the son of Jupiter's rapidly beating heart. He could see every feather-like shade of blue in the other's eyes as he stared at him with a look that Nico was happy to let go unnamed at the moment. A tentative hand reached up to wipe away a little bit of treacherous wetness that had somehow managed to escape down his face

"Sorry…" Murmured Jason looking conflicted, "I've done it again, haven't I?"

"Idiot…" mumbled Nico finally letting his eyes fall closed and pulling away slightly to burry his face in the familiar crook of Jason's neck instead. It was much safer then the things he feared one of them might do if they kept their faces so closely together, "Percy's on his way, I hope he beats you up."

"I am sure he will," agreed Jason in what sounded like a half laugh half grimace, "…I am rather surprised that you aren't."

"Mhmf, maybe later." Said Nico vaguely feeling the exhaustion from panicking earlier start to settle down upon him, "How long till you can come home?"

"Whenever Will says I am good to go." Jason half shrugged.

"Not for a while then." Translated Nico feeling relived knowing from experience that there was no way Jason was escaping until the son of Apollo was 100% sure he'd be fine. Faintly he could hear running footsteps and a familiar voice's clumsy apologies to nurses and doctors down the hall. Nico smiled fondly and began to adjust his position for one more appropriate for the public, "I hope have a fantastic excuse ready for this because otherwise you really might be done for and I won't even try to save you because you'll deserve it 100%."

Jason groaned in response.

"Okay Grace, you've got some explaining to do!" announced Percy as he entered in his work clothes looking grim enough to be facing a bunch of monsters with a touch of immense relief.

"Look, first of all, if was totally Hera's fault…" Jason began weakly as both Nico and Percy settled themselves to hear the story.


	3. Chapter 3

_Butterfly Kiss_

Percy had never learned well from just reading a book. He wasn't dumb, but he wasn't- as his ex-girlfriend had put it- what people called "book-smart". Annabeth had once explained to him the way that there are many different types of intelligence (logic/mathematical intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, kinesthetic/body intelligence and several others Percy had trouble remembering etc.) which he had sort of grasped in the quick-fire fast paced manner she liked to explain things where he latched onto the things he could and quietly accepted that he couldn't keep up with her 100mph thought process everywhere else. They both thought very quickly and deeply in very different ways and neither of them were particularly good at slowing down or explaining those ways to the other… part of the reason they ended up deciding to break up, but that was another story.

What Percy would be eternally grateful for was that Annabeth had taken the time before they split to help him see what he'd always sort of known; American school systems weren't the type of place where he learned best and if he choose to continue in them for a secondary education it would be for the titles that it gave him not for the actual content of his education. That seemed like a pretty stupid reason to get thousands of dollars in debt. Unfortunately this decision left the gaping wide question of 'what-the-hell-am-I-supposed-to-do-with-my-life?' with not much room for grace when deciding and no Annabeth to help him figure it out.

He had thought about doing something to do with his powers and the ocean, but when he really had started thinking about it he found the idea very unappealing. Perhaps because his connection to the water was impossible to separate from his status as a demigod and all the baggage that carried with it for him.

It was Nico who had steered him in the correct direction(as usual). He had been discouraged from another day of job hunting for jobs he didn't even want and feeling pressed by the need to make _some_ kind of money since Leo had announced the other day he no longer going to be living with them since Frank and Reyna had gotten his proposal for a mechanics shop on New Room approved so he was leaving immediately to go supervise the construction. So Percy had almost walked right past Nico sitting on a bench in a park before he had taken notice of the dark swirling cloud of shadows that Nico had absentmindedly created around himself.

"Nico? You alright?" Percy had asked confused, he still remembered the way that Nico had practically jumped out of his skin and the tried to look cool about it.

"'m just peachy. How are you?" Nico had asked with a glare that informed Percy that in no uncertain terms was he to inquire further into his well being unless he was in the mood to be stabbed. That day, Percy had not been in the mood to be stabbed.

"Erm… How am I doing? Well honestly not so great." Admitted Percy plopping down next to the son of Hades. Then Nico had done that little concerned head tilt he sometimes decided to whip out of his arsenal(And Percy prayed to the gods that he never actually figured out he _had_ it in his arsenal because he was ridiculously weak to it) and before he knew it Percy started pouring out all his troubles and struggles to the guy. Nico had been(and still was) a very good listener. Quite, but Percy had been able to tell he had the guys absolute attention. When Percy had finished Nico had sat in a thoughtful silence for a moment.

"Have you ever thought about working with kids?" Nico had asked after a bit.

"…There is no way I am going to make it through all the schooling necessary to be a teacher Nico." Percy had replied.

"Not all jobs that work with kids require a college degree." Nico had insisted, "You'd probably have to get some licenses, but it'd be the kind of hands on learning that I think you'd be really good at."

Percy remembered being struck once again by how kind, how precious, and what a generally good guy Nico was. That Nico had taken him seriously even at his most pathetic. That Nico had been(and was) aware of all of Percy's very real short-coming and yet still believed in him had made Percy want to cry. He actually did end up crying at one point which had made Nico very uncomfortable and he ended up dragging him back to his and Jason's apartment. Jason, with skills that Percy envied, had managed to drag out the real reason for Nico being in the middle of town in the mood he had been in(Nico had worked incredibly had to get where he was accemically and both he and Jason are still very protective and dedicated to making sure he can continue to follow the dreams of being a doctor that he so timidly voiced as though he expected people to tell him that as a son of Hades he didn't deserve to want to save lives. They were **very** protective) and they had invited Nico to come live with them.

Though Percy didn't know it at the time, that would be the day when Nico somehow became caught up in what Percy thought to be home.

Now, coming back from a long day of a mix of fun, magic(children see through the mist more easily then adults), and tantrums aka Preschool, Percy was not at all surprised to see Nico passes out on the couch under a pile of medical books and notes with his head in Jason's lap. Percy smiled dropped his bag, coat, and shoes by the door and hopped over the top of the couch so he could curl into Jason's other side without disturbing the young student.

"How was work?" whispered Jason offering Percy a mile so warm he wanted to soak in it forever, "You hungry? I know it's supposed to be my turn to cook but I didn't want to disturb him."

"Work was good. But, don't think you're getting out of cooking that easily Grace." Teased Percy letting Jason pull him a little closer so the two were hip to hip. Percy raised an eyebrow slightly but Jason looked back innocently. They'd never verbally said where they stood. Never bothered to clarify what it was that they all were to each other. But Percy had no doubt in his mind that if he leaned over just so and kissed Jason's mouth he would be favorably responded to. Same with if he decided to wake up Nico sleeping beauty style. However, Percy felt no such need to do anything in particular. The was no insistent urge try and prove physically just how much he cared about both of them because… well, there just wasn't. He wouldn't mind if they did. In some far off part of his mind he hoped they would choose to sometime. But at this moment… just this. Just his hand partially entangled in Nico's hair on Jason's thigh. Just Jason's barely suppressed laughter vibrating through where their sides were pressed together as Percy told him stories about the shenanigans that the kids had gotten up to that day at work and the things that they said. Just the way Jason shuddered when Percy affectionately pressed their cheeks together and let his eyelashes flutter against the other after something Jason had said. Just the way Nico was willing to trust them to lay so defenselessly with them with his expression so relaxed and peaceful. Just the intense emotion that Jason looked at both of them with. Just the way that Percy felt so happy with them he swore to his mother the other day on the phone that if it got any better he thought his heart might break with joy.

This was enough. This was more then enough.


	4. Chapter 4

_Angel Kiss_

The thing about Tartarus was that it left deep scars on a person. The thing about Tartarus was that the horrors that happened within didn't end once you got out. The thing about Tartarus was that once you had been inside it you carried a bit of it inside you always, a bit of that darkness, a bit of that pain. The thing about Tartarus was that Jason was the only on in the house who hadn't been in it.

One part of him was glad that because of this he could be a sort of anchor to the other two when stuff got bad. Another part, the bigger part, just felt completely helpless because of it. Even if one of them (usually Percy) opened up about their experiences there, Jason couldn't even begin to comprehend what it would have been like. Most demigods (particularly after the last two wars) suffered through some form of PTSD and depression, but Tartarus seemed to put a whole new meaning to those terms.

Sometimes when he was at his wits end, Jason would call Piper who- aside from just being an extraordinarily introspective and wise person- was familiar with his struggle in her journey with Annabeth.

"You need to accept that at the end of the day you can't do much," Piper would kindly remind him, "At the end of the day, you can't take away their pain. They have a nightmare living inside them… a war, and you can not fight it for them. But you can love them, you can be there for them, you can try to keep them safe. Don't feel like you've failed them if they can't receive it though; if they can't or don't use the help that you offer them, there isn't really much you can do about it. That's up to them. And it's hard. It's awful. And it breaks everyone's hearts, but don't let that stop you from fighting for them because there's going to be days where they are no longer able to fight for themselves."

"I just want them to be okay." Jason would say over and over every time.

"Me too." Was all Piper was able to say before reminding him at the end of every call, "I can't be the only one you reach out to, remember as you are trying to support both of them, that you need support too. Take care of yourself Jason."

Letting someone else take care of him was something Jason knew he was bad at, yet some part of him struggled deeply with the thought of being a burden to another person, particularly if he cared about that person. He thought about talking to Leo, but the demigod was so happy in his little nitch in New Rome Jason didn't want to bring him down. Piper, bless her, knew Jason well enough to know that he wasn't going to be able to do what she'd asked of him on his own and so took matters into her own hands.

So Jason was very surprised when one morning a few months after Nico had joined their household Sally Jackson turned up on his doorstep. He had awkwardly mumbled something about Percy already being at work and Nico at school but she had just smiled warmly.

"Oh I know." She had said, "I came to see _you._ Do you want to grab some coffee with me?"

Jason had been incredibly confused but had been too polite to refuse. At length had discovered that Piper and Annabeth had been worried and had called up Sally on his behalf. Once he figured that out he became nervous that she would stat quizzing him about her son and Nico and the darkness that was after Tartarus. But she did no such thing. With genuine interest she began asking Jason about how he was doing, what was he up to, how school and work was going, about his dreams and hopes for the future. It was nice. It was _really_ nice, just to be treated like a regular guy in his early twenties with no particular expectations or labels attached. As they left, Sally had confiscated his phone and plugged her number into it.

"Percy see's you and Nico as family, and so do I," she had said with a grin, "So, whether you wanted an extra mom or not, you've got one. And you can call me whenever, for whatever. Nothing is too small. If it makes you happy, if it makes you sad, if it's mundane as wondering where a good place to eat is or how to do taxes, I would still want to hear about it."

"Thanks Mrs. Jackson." Jason had managed without choking up.

"Oh just Sally." She had insisted before her smile softened into something warm and fond that made the relation between her and Percy very clear, "I heard you mention that you just wanted things to be okay again at one point. I just want you to know that things _can_ become okay, but it's not going to look like the same 'okay' from the past nor will it necessarily mean the same thing either. But it will be you boy's 'okay' and that is all that matters."

Jason hadn't really gotten it at the time when he'd smiled and thanked her, but he thought he might be starting to.

Many of the affect of Tartarus were less perceptible like the way both Nico and Percy avoided elevators and spicy foods that would burn the insides of their mouths and throats. Panic attacks became a very familiar visitor in their household. From wrestling matches with Nico where suddenly however it was the other person was holding him abruptly would feel too much like he was trapped and unable to get enough breath and he would become abruptly frantic. From other times when the occasional monster would shout curses as they died and Percy would spend the rest of the night shaking with echoes of old pain and other curses wracking through his body.

Nightmares however were Jason's most frequent foe.

Jason remembered when Percy would try and hide them from him and Leo. He had understood, sort of, that Percy had been ashamed of the way he couldn't seem to get over his experiences even though it had been so long, but it still had frustrated Jason deeply that the other boy wouldn't let him be there for him. He remembered how absurdly betrayed and jealous he had been when not long after Nico had joined them and he went to go wake up the younger demigod for school and found the two of them curled around each other in bed. Nico had woken and seen him and an odd look had crossed his face at Jason's expression. Quietly Nico had slipped out of bed and beckoned him out of the room.

"It helps." He had confessed, "To not be alone when… when it gets hard. To be able to wake up to someone safe, or have someone to wake you up when you can't. Especially when that someone knows what it was like… it just helps."

"I understand." He had said. And he had, truly, but it hadn't been enough to squash the clawing longing to be part of the scene he'd walked in on. He hadn't called Piper that time, because he was afraid of what she might tell him these feeling meant. So he had just tried to smile as Percy slowly became a permanent fixture in Nico's bed.

Then one night he had startled awake to Nico standing over him with a wild look in his eyes.

"Sorry Jason, I- it's just- Percy is finally sleeping peacefully and I don't want to wake him-" Nico had mumbled as his had eyes darted all over the room.

"No need to explain. You can always come to me." Jason had interrupted him as his brain finally caught up to his eyes and ears and he sat up. Nico had let out a shaky breath charged with emotion as his limbs trembled ever so slightly.

"Do you need…?" Jason had asked uncertainly raising his arms in a silent invitation, but Nico had shaken his head frantically.

"Don't want to be touched right now." He had mumbled insistently before haltingly climbing up onto the bed next to Jason being careful to leave space between them, "Will you just… stay awake with me for a bit?"

"Of course!" Jason had replied fervently and he remembered the way Nico had smiled weakly at him before hesitantly taking his hand and lacing their fingers together. When Jason had given him a confused look he had shrugged and had looked away with more then a little shame in his expression.

"To make sure I don't shadow travel away by myself." He'd explained in manner that said he'd hated to admit it, "…It's not really safe for me to be alone with myself right now."

Jason had been in dozens of battles but nothing had quite sent such an icy dose of fear through him like that admission had. He'd wordlessly squeezed Nico's hand back, and though the younger demigod had eventually fallen back asleep Jason remained wide-awake all night afraid to let go of his hand or look away from the dark haired boy's sleeping face.

The next day he had had to reassure Nico multiple times that it was more then okay for him to have woken him up when he needed him. Still, despite the calming demeanor he had projected for Percy and Nico's sake, the moment he was out the door he decided to call in sick to work and class and headed straight to Sally's to have a little fall apart. Jason had never told the other two, but he had nightmares of his own quite often, many of which featured the way Percy had lain seemingly cold and lifeless with Annabeth in front of the doors of death, the way Nico's form had flickered and became transparent and unsubstantial as Will dragged him from the battle, and dozens of other moments when he was sure he was going to lose them, now with the brand new addition of "It's not safe for me to be alone with myself right now" and all the potential horrors that hinted at. He let Sally hold him through it all and talk him through his panic and fears even though it must have looked ridiculous; a fully grown man being held and rocked like a child by such a small fierce woman. And though he was embarrassed by himself later Sally simply waved off his apologies with a smile and a stern look.

"Never apologies for loving someone." She'd told him and Jason hadn't known what to say around the tightness in his throat so he'd just nodded.

The next night Jason had been confused when Percy had just marched into his room dragging a comforter and an uncertain Nico behind him.

"This is ridiculous." Percy had announced, "Move over Grace."

"What?" Jason had asked blankly. Percy had rolled his eyes and Nico had snorted softly at him. Jason was given no warning before Percy was clambering on top of him and snuggling up like he was a five star mattress, "Whoa, Perce! You are not a small person you know."

"Deal with it." Percy had smirked as he had made himself comfortable on top of him, though Jason had met those large green eyes and had seen the silent 'is this okay?' in them. Jason had smiled widely and chuckled in return making Percy relax.

"You're something else, Jackson." Jason had stated shaking his head fondly. He'd glanced over to see Nico eyeing them with a small blush. He had jumped slightly when he had realized he'd been caught and the blush darkened but Nico had pursed his lips in determination and climbed into the bed as well, much closer the he had the night before. At Jason's questioning gaze the son of Hades had shrugged looking away and mumbling, "We realized it's not quite right unless it's all of us."

They rarely spent a night away from each other after that. It became the unspoken rule that Jason would wake the other two up in the morning since he was the early bird. He was in charge of breakfasts, Nico of lunches, and Percy covered dinners(there were many pizza nights). Jason still marveled at the fact that he could happily wake them up most day's knowing the previous night had actually been peaceful. Nightmares still hit, hard, horrible, and still fairly often, but not every night like they had before, something that filled Jason with hope.

"Wake up sleepy." He said nuzzling the top of Percy's head.

"5 more minuets Jace." Mumbled Percy childishly.

"Hmmm… nope! You need to get up, or I am stealing the shower first." Hummed Jason poking at him.

"No! You always steal all the hot water!" Percy said suddenly sitting straight up and glaring at him. Jason just laughed and moved to wake up Nico who had pulled the pillow over his head in an attempt to ignore both of them.

"Angel… Angelo, come on. Wake up." Jason cooed softly tugging the pillow out of his hands. Nico scrunched up his face in distaste of the light and Jason laughed lightly kissing his eyelids open and soon sleepy and unfocused dark eyes were blinking blearily up at him, "Morning."

"Geeze, you're so much more gentle with him then you are with me, sometimes I swear you like him better Grace." Complained Percy, but the content way he was staring at the two of them removed any bite the comment could have had.

"Naturally, I am irresistible." Yawned Nico stretching.

"Can't argue with that." Grinned Percy and Jason had to laugh as the tips of Nico's ears turned slightly pink. This set up wasn't what he had once meant when he'd tell Piper he wanted things to be okay, but he'd come to realize that this was their okay _now_ and he wouldn't trade it away.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hand Kiss_

If you had asked Nico what he wanted to be when he grew up when he was a teenager, he probably would have responded in some cynical manner of how that would depend on whether he lived long enough to grow up. Though truthfully it was a valid concern for a child of the big three, and it had the added bonus of shutting people up. In that department, Jason and Percy were also in the same boat. The Great Wars ended and suddenly it was like, 'oh, we're actually going to get a chance to live' and 'oh, we're not really needed as hero's anymore' which lead to a sudden dreadful realization of 'well what am I supposed to do with myself now?'.

Nico probably would have drifted purposelessly for a lot longer if it hadn't been for Will. The son of Apollo was always dragging Nico along to come hang out with him in healing ward at camp and eventually Nico got board of just trailing along behind Will and started helping out as well. Not much at first, he was convinced that people wouldn't want 'The Ghost King' to be supervising their healing process. But nobody said anything- probably courtesy of Will and Jason and several others hovering around camp guarding him from anyone who might give him a hard time about being there- and so Nico started taking on bigger and bigger tasks and patients.

To his surprise he found that his powers allowed him to best evaluate what ailments were most draining to the persons life force along with a pretty good sense for the things that would cure them. After a day where Nico had successfully dosed and cured a camper with an unknown sickness he discovered Will staring at him thoughtfully.

"You ever thought about becoming a doctor Nico?" he'd asked. Nico had laughed, almost positive that he was joking, because, honestly? A child of death becoming a healer? What kind of irony was that? But Will had been serious and had kept bringing it up over and over in the next few months, pretty much forcing Nico to also think about it seriously. His insecurities about being able to do well in school and being a son of Hades aside, yes, being a doctor sounded like something he could see himself pursuing. Being a doctor sounded like a job that he could pour himself into and be proud of. It sounded perfect, but…

When Jason and Percy had gotten wind of his quite dream there was really no stopping it any longer because those two played dirty and called _Reyna_ for backup. The Roman leader- who had practically adopted him as her unofficial brother- was very no nonsense about the whole thing. It was very much 'This is something you want? Let's make it happen.' And that was the end of that and Nico found himself set up for the online courses he would need to graduate High School and flyers for different colleges and medical tracks for him to look at in the mean time.

In the end, he decided to stay in New York and try and go to the same school as Will(who was absolutely over the moon about his choice). Hades sent him fake documentation- considering by his _real_ papers he was supposed to be like 80+ years old and… yeah schools would probably find that suspicious- as well as a bunch of money to help pay for college(definitely the perks of having the god of wealth as your father).

Even now, Percy and Jason were always ready to bend over backwards for him and his dreams and it made Nico's chest tight whenever he thought about it. They alternated between acting like mother hens, older brothers, friends, or lately more like they were his lovers… not that they were his lovers… not that they _weren't_ his lovers. It was a little confusing when he tried to explain it to other people. It was a little confusing whenever he tried to explain it to himself.

Nico stared at Jason who was sitting across the room from where he was studying reading a book of his own with his glasses just crooked enough that Nico wanted go straighten them out. What would he do if Nico just walked over to him and asked 'what is this?' or 'what are we?' or perhaps most importantly 'what am I to you?'. But Nico wasn't sure if he wanted to break the magic spell of happiness that they all seemed to be under. Asking those sorts of questions felt like they would make things awkward or maybe cause tensions and honestly Nico was content with the way that they were. But… they probably needed to be asked. Probably soon. The way they all half jokingly half seriously flirted with each other and the soft and chaste touches they sometimes exchanged were not something he had interest in sharing with someone who was not Percy and Jason. At all. The question he supposed was not whether he was happy with that they had, because that was a no brainer, but whether he would be interested in more if it was ever offered.

"Nico! What did you do to your hand!?" exclaimed Percy coming up behind Nico making him jump and Jason look up from his book.

"Huh? Oh this. Will nicked me when he was being an idiot with his tools earlier." Shrugged Nico sparing the small cut on the back of his hand a glance.

"Will needs to be more careful." Rumbled Jason frowning and Nico had to refrain from rolling his eyes as realized that both boys were going into their protective mode.

"Come on, you guys both know I've had a lot worse." Groaned Nico.

"Just because you've nearly died in the past does not mean you getting hurt is not a big deal!" huffed Jason unhappily.

"Jason, it's just a scratch." Nico sighed in exasperation.

"It's on you hands Nico, as a future Doctor you need to take good care of your hands." Insisted Percy.

"No need to pull the Doctor card on me, that's just unfair." Grumbled Nico.

"Why not? It's true," said Percy, and Nico felt his breath catch in his throat as Percy raised his hand to lips and pressed a soft kiss to the injury, "These are the hands that are going to save lives," he pressed more kisses to each of the tips of Nico's fingers, "These are the hands that have already saved many lives, mine included. You should take care of them."

"I…" Nico made the mistake of looking into Percy's eyes then and he completely lost his train of thought with the intense look he was giving him.

"Ahem," coughed a completely red-faced Jason startling them out of whatever trance they had been in. Nico felt his face go scarlet all the way up to his ears and Percy looked far too pleased with himself. 'Little S***' he thought fondly, "I am going to go call Will and remind him that he needs to be more careful."

"Please don't. You're going to make him cry." Complained Nico trying to cover up his embarrassment, "He's already apologized so many times my ears almost started bleeding."

"I am sure you can survive a few more." Mused Jason already punching in Will's phone number.

"Jason…" groaned Nico.

"Lay it on reeeeally thick Jason. I should call my mom too and have her call him." Suggested Percy deviously.

"Gods no, Percy don't do that." Moaned Nico quickly tackling Percy to the floor to wrestle his phone away from him. Jason was bad enough as a mother hen, he didn't need Mrs. Jackson fluttering all over him as well. Honestly, he only needed like three stiches, his boys freaked out over the tiniest things.

…his boys. When had he started subconsciously referring to them as that? Whenever it was, he hoped that he never had to stop.

"Percy, give me that phone!"

"Never!"


	6. Chapter 6

_Pecks_

Jason loved them.

He loved both of them so freaking much it felt physically painful sometimes, like that if he somehow managed to love them anymore he might literally burst.

Lying to himself was not one of Jason's talents. Though he would be the first to admit he could be pretty dense sometimes, he was still pretty introspective. He tried desperately to not recognize it for as long as he could, but he'd lived through far to many things to remain in denial for an extended period of time. Once he had accepted it however, he'd decided that he would just carry on treating Nico and Percy as friends and friends only.

That plan had been a colossal failure so far.

This was mostly due to his second realization-this one had taken _much_ longer for him to accept- that both of the other demigods seemed to share at least a similar sentiment. He knew, they knew, he knew they knew he knew etc. Still, none of them quite dared to make move. These days all three of them were constantly dancing around each other.

'What if being together as lovers ruins what we have now? What if we can't make it work?' These questions seemed to hang in the air. Jason loved them though. He loved them so much that he didn't want to do something stupid and end up losing them for good.

Even so, there was a hella lot of flirting that went on for a bunch of guys trying to remain in a platonic relationship. At least that's how Rachel had put it on her last visit to deliver them a new quest. She wasn't wrong, that much Jason had to admit guiltily.

He couldn't always seem to help it though. Sometimes, when the hard edges of the cynicism and sarcasm Nico normally wore would soften into something almost unreal and precious, Jason would completely lose his head and blurt out the most cheesy and lovey-dovey things and then it would be a contest of who was going to turn more red. Sometimes, when he would catch the mischievous glint in Percy's eye and the son of the Poseidon would jokingly flirt with him, Jason would find himself grinning just as slyly and flirting back just as hard… it was almost a competition; who was going to get flustered first? And then still other times, when Percy and Nico's banter would get heated and their faces would get close and their eyes filled with restrained longing and Jason would find himself caught in a trance unable to look away.

When his sister had found out who he liked she had gotten a very concerned frown on her face. He had worried at first that it was because they were men, but he had learned very quickly that Thalia was more then okay with such things. Eventually he had gotten her to tell him what was bothering her and she had hesitantly asked if it was a good idea to be in love with _those two_ in particular since they had such a long history together and obviously loved each other and _aren't you jealous or worried about getting left behind?_ Jason had thought he would be but… strangely when he saw them together he only felt a delicious warmth in his chest. Jason mused that he was in love with the way they loved each other. He loved them together and separately and in every way he could think of. But he was determined to maintain their friendship nonetheless.

The latest development was making that very difficult.

It was _technically_ Jason who had started it but… he was still resolute that it was Percy's fault in the end. Jason had just wandered in the kitchen one afternoon to find Percy leaning over a bunch of ingredients and a cookbook trying to figure out if how to make some kind of blue cake. He had been wearing the biggest pout on face as he muttered about how stupid it was to have measurements for ingredients that were so easy to flip around by accident. Jason hadn't even thought about it- which was possibly the scarier part- he had just kind planted a kiss behind Percy's ear as he past by with a murmur of 'you can do it!' and kept going to the fridge for his drink. Percy squawked loudly and hunched his shoulders to rub away whatever ticklish feeling it had left behind while he shot Jason a startled glance. Then that look turned calculating and some part of Jason accepted that he was done for.

Sure enough, not a second after Jason had closed the fridge Percy abandoned his cooking project to bounce over to him. Before the blond could ask him what he was doing Percy leaned over and panted a quick peck at the corner of Jason's jaw.

"Now we're even." Percy chirped looking so self-satisfied that Jason couldn't help but lean over and give another quick peck to the tip of his nose.

"Not anymore." Jason retorted and took off running knowing the other demigod would be hot on his heals.

Predictably, what resulted was a house wide competition of who could steal more quick kisses. Never too close to the mouth, since that wouldn't still been pushing it, but pretty much everywhere else on the head and neck was fair game. When Nico had caught on he had simply snorted at them and began keeping a tally of who was winning in the margins of his anatomy textbook as well as the occasional commentary. Then, towards the end of the night, Percy a squished on the couch next to Nico and tugged the book out of his hands with a 'letmesee letmesee!'.

"You won by the way." Nico informed him as the blond came to perch on the arm of the couch and peer over to see the neat marks of 27 under Jason's name and 25 under Percy's.

"No, this isn't quite right." Frowned Percy examining the scores.

"Yes it is, Jason snuck two in when you had your hands full of those boxes earlier remember-" Nico began to remind him as Jason grinned at the memory of Percy's indignant face.

"No," Insisted Percy shaking his head, "Gimme the pencil."

"Percy, you can't change the score just because you don't like losing-" began Nico before he caught his breath. Jason squinted through his glasses before his eyes widened as he realized Percy was scribbling a neat Nico underneath their scores and a sloppy 27 beneath that.

"Gotta make it fair…" insisted Percy as he pushed the textbook onto the coffee table and turned to Nico who was staring at the other wide eyed as the older demigod began pressing quick little kisses to the side of his face, "1…2… 3… 4… Wanna help me out Grace?... 5… 6…"

"I would love to." Replied Jason not giving himself time to think about the repercussions of all this before he found himself scooting both of the other two over to make room for him and pressing his own light pecks to Nico's temple and then down the side of his face following his jawline. Nico stuttered out a soft sound as Percy nuzzled behind his ear and Jason watched his dark eyes flutter closed.

Whatever soft atmosphere had fallen on them was shattered however when a light kiss to the neck revealed that Nico happened to be incredibly ticklish. The second the uncontrolled giggle had escaped the son of Hades both Jason and Percy had made eye contact on either side of him and grinned simultaneously while Nico let out a string of curses in ancient Greek. The chaos descended as Jason and Percy both attacked from either side and Nico thrashed and giggled with helpless laughter.

"Ahaha- You're both-hahehe- _SO_ dead- hahaha- when I escape." Nico managed to wheeze out between breathless laughs.

"Sounds good to me." Grinned Jason and Percy laughed as well and then suddenly Jason found himself pinned by an intense green gaze and Percy was leaning forward to give him two quick kisses both dangerously close to his mouth.

"Now we're all even." Said Percy looking immensely pleased with himself and Nico was attempting to glare at him while he caught his breath but he couldn't keep the fondness out his dark eyes and Jason loved them both so so much and he was so so screwed.

* * *

Note: by vote, this one was the most popular so there is art for it.


	7. Chapter 7

_Kiss on the Mouth_

Percy was a wee bit distraught. That was the short version of the story. This whole business of living with the two people he was in love with but not really acknowledging it or doing anything about it was killing him. Percy liked to consider himself a pretty straight forward guy. He preferred action to stewing over hypothetical situations any day. The only reason he didn't in this particular situation was because he was pretty sure he'd spook both of the boy's he was in love with if he just jumped them.

And he was perfectly okay with not jumping them too. If they really wanted to remain just friends then he thought he could be still be really happy and content with that. He really could. Except that he kept getting all these mixed signals from both of them. 'Yes I want you please come closer… no wait, why are you coming closer go away!' Most of that came from Nico, but Jason sometimes panicked too, though he was better at hiding it. To say the least, it was confusing as heck. There was very little in this world that he wouldn't do to make those two happy. The problem was that he was certain that Jason and Nico _wanted_ but he didn't think either of them knew _what_ they wanted and so Percy was at a loss of how to give it to them.

Even though Percy didn't always act like it, he was very conscious of the fact that he was the oldest out of the three of them and he really did try and look out for the other two as much as he could. As a consequence of being children of the Big Three, none of them had had much of a childhood. All of them had had to grow up much faster then they should have and shoulder responsibilities not even adults would ever have to bear. So there was a bit of Percy that- even though there was now no doubt anymore in his mind over if he wanted to enter a romantic relationship with them- was determined make sure that both of them could take this at their own pace.

Percy had known for years that his fatal flaw was that he would sacrifice the world for the people he cared about. He'd come to realize what was most dangerous about having this flaw is that it wasn't immediately apparent what a twisted sort of flaw this could be. When people discovered that was is 'fatal flaw' often times they would just kind of roll their eyes and scoff 'you really are a hero through and through aren't you?'. People made it sound like some kind of virtue rather then a vice. While Percy still believed in caring for his friends and loved ones with his whole being, it'd taken till Tartarus to fully recognize the darker side of his flaw; that saving the world twice had less to do with any sort of moral high ground on his part and more due to the beliefs of his friends. He had killed _hundreds_ of people- and he had enough friends who were "monsters" to know that being a monster didn't take away 'personhood'- and he would probably do it again if those who were precious to him were in danger again… and that _really_ scared him. In many respects he wasn't much better then the people he fought so hard against and that twisted him with guilt and made him feel undeserving of the affections he received.

"Don't you see how messed up I am?!" he wanted to scream sometimes. But he had a feeling that if he ever did his 'loved ones' might just punch him in the face and get really upset… He did seem to gravitate towards people who were more violent in nature after all.

But he'd been trying, he'd really really been trying to change. To learn how to still love fully without being self destructive or compromising his morals at the same time. He had never really voiced this to Nico or Jason, but he knew they both saw the changes and supported him as well. Not to say that they didn't have problems as well; wars and more quests then he could count had given all of them a little bit of hero complexes. Not that it wasn't completely understandable why that was, or that there wasn't some truth to that, but it could still be harmful to their relationships(and mental health, his mother was always reminding him, was extremely important). Being close to Jason was actually shedding more light onto why he needed to continue getting his shit together(it was always a work in progress, probably always would be). Like, Annabeth had told him _many_ times how awful it was when he decided to "go all self sacrificing and heroic" and how much it pissed her off and freaked her out in equal amounts. His mom and other friends had told him something along the same lines at other times, but it really wasn't until he watched Jason try and shoulder all the responsibility all the time and hide his sufferings that Percy really _got_ it. Because that was _horrible_ for everyone involved and also unnecessary. He caught himself thinking all the time, 'It really wouldn't be so bad if we all just shared this burden together' which is not his default manner of operating.

The situation with Jason really did worry him. Nico also had dark moments, like, _really_ dark moments where Percy would call in sick just because he was afraid of what would happen if he wasn't close by… But he always had Jason on his side in those situations, and Hazel, and Reyna, and Will. All of which were very familiar with the son of Hades and the ways he needed to be supported. When Jason got it into his head that he didn't want to impose on them and bottled everything up and smiled or went off on his own on dangerous missions… well, he and Nico had shared many a panicked glance whenever they caught wind of whatever was going on behind the scenes _that_ time.

 _It really had to stop. They really had to stop hiding stuff from each other; they were just going to end up hurting one another._

"Percy, there is a major quest coming up for you three soon." Rachel informed the moment he picked up his phone after work. No nonsense or dancing about, just blunt and to the point. It was no mystery why he had crushed on her when he was a teen sometimes.

"Hello to you too Rachel." Grinned Percy as he fished his wallet out of his bag to get money for a cab, "How soon is 'soon' do you think? Like the 'should I expect a visit from a god on my way home?' kind of soon or is it the average 'it could be anywhere from next week to next year' kind of soon?"

"It's the 'you should probably pack your bags when you get home' kind of soon." Rachel informed him, ignoring his sarcasm. Percy frowned, it really must be an important quest.

"Got it, did you call the others yet?" asked Percy tapping his foot impatiently as the cab stalled in the packed NYC traffic.

"No I… I think it's going to be one of those quests where Jason might try and go solo so I thought…" said Rachel a little bit anxiety.

"Oh- Oh s*** are you serious? Have you had a vision of him going off-" began Percy panic mode starting to settle in.

"No! No, thank the gods, I just _know_ Jason, you know? And this is going to be _that_ kind of quest for him." Rachel warned, and Percy let out a tight breath. Well at least nothing was set in stone, he reflected.

"Thanks for the heads up Rach, Nico and I really appreciate it. We'll look after Jason, no worries. Just keep us posted if you see anything definite." Said Percy sighing and dragging a hand through his dark hair. Rachel snorted despite the seriousness of the situation, "What?"

"My gods… You guys have really _got_ to get together. I don't know what you're worried about; you're all practically married to each other alre-"

"SO! I've got to go, call me if you need anything!" Percy said hurriedly and hung up before she could tease him anymore. Percy hoped his face wasn't as red as it felt, but since the cab driver was barely suppressing his laughter he figured he probably was. His embarrassment quickly faded back to stress as he quickly shot Nico a text to 'come home as soon as you can. I think Jace is going to do something stupid again' and they rounded the corner to the street where their apartment was.

"Here's good." He told the driver with a quick smile as he handed over his cash and hurried on his way. Jason should've already beat him to the house. There was no guarantee that he had even heard about whatever the quest was going to be yet but… Percy was almost all the way to their floor when he thought better of his plan to just march in. Instead, he took a detour up the fire escape and managed to climb through the window into his bedroom. These days, the room was mostly used as a movie room or for storage since all of them slept in Jason's most night's. Which was good because the muffled TV they usually left on covered up the sound of his entrance. Sneaking quietly through the apartment Percy found Jason just where he dreaded him to be; in his room hurriedly stuffing clothes, ambrosia, and other supplies into a backpack.

"Don't you dare." Growled Percy surprising the blond as he quickly tackled the other demigod to the floor, "You don't get to leave us behind on this one."

"Let go Percy! I've got to do this quest!" protested Jason struggling to escape his grip. Percy's element of surprise was fading and he knew it was only a matter of time before it became very apparent why they were equals in strength.

"Yes! You do! And we're coming with you!" Percy bit out and he was relieved when dark shadows joined his hands in helping to restrain the son of Jupiter. He panted as he sat back on Jason's middle and Nico silently crouched down next to him radiating frustration. Percy was once again extremely grateful for shadow travel.

"Anyone care to explain?" asked Nico sounding pissed and a little hurt.

"There is a new quest meant for all of us, but _someone_ thinks that it's cool to try and leave us behind." Percy summarized.

"You guys can't come." said Jason shaking his head raggedly, "This quest is _my_ problem. I am not risking you two getting yourselves killed-!"

"And that's supposed to make us feel any better about sending you off on your own?" demanded Nico.

"It doesn't matter!" Jason insisted and Percy watched something crumple in the blonds expression, "Don't you get it?! I _love_ you two! If either of you get's hurt or killed because of my dumb problems-!"

" ** _That's no excuse_**!" Nico surprisingly recovered himself first from the confession and nearly knocked Percy over as he grabbed Jason's shirt to haul him upright, "Love is never an excuse to do self destructive s***! Isn't that what you're always telling me? Well it applies to you too!"

"Whoa Nico-" Began Percy a bit startled about the passion with which Nico was speaking, he usually held himself in reserve, preferring to stew and glare rather then shout.

"Even so… I just can't… I've been having these dreams all this week of all these horrible things happening to you two on this quest and I… if there is even a _chance_ of those dreams becoming reality then I am not risking it. I am not risking you two." Jason whispered, something desperate and vulnerable in his gaze that made it impossible for Percy to stay angry with him. Especially when he could relate. Nico let go of his shirt and Jason flopped back onto the floor, letting out a shuddering breath in an obvious attempt not become teary. All the anger had drained from the room. Percy shifted closer to both of them and wove his fingers together with Nico's and cupped Jason's face gently with his other hand.

"Jace… It's the same you know, for me at least. I love you guys too and I would do almost _anything_ to protect you two." Said Percy struggling with his words a bit because, gods above this was important and he didn't want to screw up, "But I realize that means sometimes I have to protect myself, because you guys would be hurt if I was hurt wouldn't you?"

"Yeah…"

"Of course, dummy…"

"So it's the same, it's the same for you Jason." Percy insisted leaning down to shyly brush his mouth against Jason's, "So please… don't push us away."

"I-I-!" breathed Jason looking disbelieving and all around flustered.

"You two are going to be the death of me…" groaned Nico glaring at both of them, before his gaze softened and he also leaned down and kissed Jason briefly making something short circuit and fizz pleasantly inside Percy's brain, "But I agree with Percy on this one."

"You- I- You two aren't playing fair!" protested Jason as Nico finally released his shadowy bonds now that it looked like the blond was no longer going to blot.

"Nope." Agreed Percy popping his 'p' as a giddy feeling spread through his chest.

"To address your other concern though, I wouldn't really matter if one of the dreams really was some kind of prophetic vision because then there would be no way to change it, and if it wasn't then it's just some god trying to make you do something dumb like leave us behind." Nico huffed seeming content to continue the conversation and pretend his cheeks weren't flaming red.

"I guess…" said Jason hesitantly.

"No 'I guess' it's true, don't you know? Nico's always right." Percy informed them cheekily.

"I am going to remind you that you said that next time we disagree." Nico replied.

"I figured you might." Chuckled Percy in response before shifting so that Jason could sit up with them, "And next time, for real Jason, wake us up if you have a dreams like those again."

"S'fine, I usually feel better just waking up and having you both right there." Mumbled Jason in embarrassment.

"It's not fine if they're making you think about stupid things." Nico shot back sternly.

"I guess." Said Jason still not looking 100% convinced. Oh well, thought Percy, they had time to work on that, "So I guess there is not really anything I can do to stop you from coming along on this quest, huh?"

"Nope."

"Nothing. We'd just follow behind anyway."

"Well then, I guess we should get packing." Sighed Jason scratching his head.

"Yes, but first!" Percy said sternly taking both of their hands and joining them all, "Let's do this properly so there is no more confusion."

"What properly?" asked Nico looking perplexed.

"I want to ask you both to officially become my boyfriends." Smirked Percy though his eyes were serious.

"Oh, that." Mumbled Nico, flushing.

"Yes, that." Agreed Percy.

"Yes. I will." Jason responded immediately, his blue eyes intense and determined. Percy beamed and squeezed his hand.

"I- yeah- I mean yes, I want to- uh- date both of you too. Because I- ah- you know- also lovebothofyou." Mumbled Nico.

"What was that you said?" teased Percy.

"I said shut up." Nico shot back in embarrassment.

"Gladly." Said Percy cheekily leaning forward to steal a lingering kiss from him. He was pleased to see the son of Hades looking a little dazed after.

"J-Jason! Tell us about this quest!" Nico said quickly to cover up how flustered he was. Both Percy and Jason grinned at each other.

"Well, like I said before, this quest is going to be super dangerous for you two so I want you to promise me to be careful…" Jason began to explain as they sprawled out on their bedroom floor.

Despite many lingering problems and the fact this quest would be likely hard as usual, Percy had never felt so giddy and content. He sitting with his boyfriends! The word felt thrilling to say in his head. He'd actually gotten to exchange all sorts of kisses with them, even long before this. And as they all put off moving to gather their things Percy thought;

 _I hope we all get to have many many more types of kisses together from now on!_


End file.
